Ker Chen: Myth, Technology, and the Art of Virtual Worlds
October 2024
Ker Chen
@hereiskerker
Ker Chen is a multimedia artist who signals through creating virtual worlds and producing live experiences. Ker explores myths, fortune-telling, and AI algorithms to capture data points from the future and validate the present. Concerned with the simulation of sensations by endogenous chemicals, Ker strives to find elements of control within the invisible and chaotic aspects of existence, looking inward to the body, outward to the surrounding environment, and beyond to the external world.
What initially sparked your interest in combining art with technology?
KC: My initial drive to combine art and technology came from my graduate studies at NYU Tandon School of Engineering, focusing on emerging technologies. At first, I approached these skills from a technical engineering perspective. As I gradually learned and applied these techniques, I realized that my many previous artistic ideas could now be expressed and realized with new tools. These technologies not only granted me more freedom in artistic expression but also offered a new way to create art. With the support of technology, I could better showcase my understanding and ideas in art, marking the beginning of my journey in blending art with technology.
Your art blends virtual worlds and live experiences in such a unique way. Were there any books, films, or personal experiences that inspired you to pursue this path?
KC: One source of inspiration for this path was my early fascination with Magnum Photos. Through this, I discovered surrealist-style photography, where photographers created captivating virtual worlds through visual techniques. This style fascinated me deeply. When I first started experimenting with 3D, my goal was to use it to build imaginary worlds or surreal scenes in my mind and dreams.
Personally, I grew up in a remote town in Southwest China in a relatively underdeveloped environment. Around 2000, as some national hydrogen-electric and nuclear electric project development started there, the town quickly modernized, and my journey took me from this small town to Chengdu, then to Beijing, and eventually to New York. Experiencing these different regions, economies, and time periods gave me a strong sense of “compressed time” and “spatial crossing.” This trajectory inspired a nearly surreal perception of space and time, which fuels my work and lends my projects a unique perspective that bridges different times and places.
How have your personal experiences growing up in a multi-religious family and being the first in your family to attend college shaped your identity as an artist?
KC: I was born in a remote town in SouthWest China; my parents were factory workers, and my grandparents were farmers. My early life was quite wild and unstructured. Starting in the early 2000s, the internet became my primary source of understanding the world. Besides the internet, books, and online communities, I studied Forestry Economics and Management as an undergraduate in Beijing and then continued my graduate studies in an engineering school. For a long time, I was more of an observer or experiencer in art. But After a while, I realized that spending time and effort to bring my whimsical ideas to life wouldn’t disrupt my real life, so I began to pursue them boldly.
When you’re not working on your art, what activities or hobbies help keep you creatively inspired?
KC: Physical activities that connect me with my body have a huge impact on my artistic inspiration. I often practice yoga, cycling, and swimming, which help me focus on my bodily sensations and interaction with the environment, particularly breathing. I ride my bike daily, which, with its speed and movement, gives me a sense of freedom. Swimming is more internal, requiring intense focus on breathing, isolating me from the outside world. This unique immersion is very inspiring to my creative work.
I’m also drawn to outdoor activities. Studying forestry in college made me highly sensitive to plants and trees. When I’m in nature, observing how different landscapes and ecosystems interact helps me step away from everyday constraints. This connection with nature also provides a sense of grounding in our chaotic world.
Your work spans across digital art, live installations, and AI-driven experiences. What excites you most about working in multiple mediums?
KC: For me, multimedia is an ideal medium because I often have diverse ideas that need a multi-sensory approach to convey. I focus heavily on creating immersive experiences, and achieving true immersion requires engaging multiple senses, including visual, auditory, and tactile. Multimedia allows me to freely explore visuals, both virtual and physical while incorporating real-world touches and sounds.
This multi-layered nature of multimedia offers great freedom, letting me more flexibly and comprehensively express the thoughts and emotions I want to convey. By blending various mediums and sensory elements, I aim to bring audiences a richer, multi-dimensional experience, which is the goal I continually strive for in my work.
How do you balance the technical aspects of digital art with creating an emotional or sensory experience for your audience?
KC: For me, technology is always just a tool; the core of art lies in the message you want to convey. Therefore, I believe all technical elements, visual effects, sounds, or textures, serve to better express that message.
I choose the most suitable medium and techniques for each piece’s content rather than letting technology guide the creative direction. Technology provides me with tools but should never obscure or deviate from the core message I aim to communicate. My goal is for the audience to perceive my ideas and emotions as directly and accurately as possible, so every visual, auditory, or tactile element exists to serve that purpose.
Could you share a project where you combined myth, AI, and immersive experiences, and how that impacted the final outcome?
KC: My project Hunting is a reinterpretation of various mythologies, creating a personal heroic myth that reflects my ongoing journey of searching for a “god” or a sense of belonging. Ultimately, I realized that perhaps the answer lies within my own feelings. This project is a blend of traditional mythological elements reimagined into a modern myth and a process of self-discovery.
In this project, I used AI to rework 3D visuals, as I feel 3D often has a “plastic” quality lacking the uncontrollable noise of real-life footage. To make it feel more like reality, I added visual noise through AI, mimicking real-life randomness and adding layers of authenticity and complexity.
AI often brought unexpected results in Hunting that enriched my work. Although I could control many AI parameters, I couldn’t entirely predict what noise it would add. These surprises added inspiration and layers to my work, so I welcome them as a positive addition to my creative process.
Themes of control, chaos, and the body are central to your work. How do you explore these concepts in your projects?
KC: This year, my work has been focused on exploring the connection between control, chaos, and the body. It’s not just a creative state but a form of self-practice in my recent life. I’m working to control my emotions, regulate my body, and sense my surroundings, all while striving to be a better person. This year’s projects, especially installations and performances, are rooted in my recent emotional experiences, inspired by real-life events.
This is also my first time sharing my personal emotions and experiences through art, and these emotions resonate especially strongly with people in New York, a city of intense chaos, in our post-pandemic world.
Fortune-telling and AI are such intriguing elements in your work. How do they influence your exploration of the future and identity in your art?
KC: For me, fortune-telling and AI are both explorations of possibilities in parallel universes. However, I don’t believe that either fortune-telling or AI algorithms can definitively predict the future or represent any absolute outcome. I’m more interested in these different potential futures, as knowing potential outcomes can clarify what you truly desire, motivating you to pursue it.
Therefore, I see this as a form of self-reflection and a desire for control over the future.
How does the presence of a live audience shape your choices as a multimedia artist during performances or live installations?
KC: I particularly enjoy live events and performances because I’m very interested in the audience’s reactions. In my view, all art is inherently interactive. Whether it’s an installation or a painting, each audience member views it uniquely, which determines their experience of the work.
In a live setting, I become part of the artwork myself. I can directly sense how the audience wants to interact with the piece and provide immediate feedback. This real-time interaction is very meaningful to me, as I am both a creator and an experiencer, learning from the audience’s engagement.
With the rapid evolution of AI and digital art, what excites you most about the future of art and technology?
KC: I find the current technological landscape more exciting than the art scene because of the constant emergence of new technology, which brings unprecedented forms of art in music and visuals alike. Technological advancements keep pushing the evolution of new styles and forms, so I’m very excited about the future of art styles and innovations driven by technology.
As an artist working at the cutting edge of technology, what advice would you give to others exploring digital and multimedia art?
KC: My advice to digital and multimedia artists is to be clear about the story you want to tell or the message you want to convey, rather than letting the tools or form take over. All technical methods and mediums should serve the message, rather than allowing the technology to dictate the creative direction. In my view, powerful works come from clear intentions and accurate expression.
Are there any new projects or technologies you’re particularly excited about exploring in your upcoming work?
KC: Recently, I’ve developed a strong interest in exploring the Sichuan dialect of my hometown. When teaching my boyfriend Chinese, I teach him the Mandarin and Sichuan pronunciations for each word and phrase. Through this, I began to analyze their meanings word by word, tracing their historical roots, which revealed a sense of Sichuan identity and historical weight.
For example, in Sichuan dialect, going to the restroom is called “解手,” which means “to release hands.” This originates from when Sichuan was a remote exile area, and prisoners had to be unshackled to use the restroom. This history has inspired me to delve deeper into the cultural memory and trauma embedded in Sichuan dialect, which will be a focus in my upcoming project.
Looking back at your career so far, what’s been the most rewarding part of your journey as a digital and multimedia artist?
KC: I believe the most important journey was learning technology during my graduate studies. If I hadn’t learned these technologies from an engineer and programmer’s perspective, it would have been difficult to understand the foundational logic of graphical programming. Mastering these skills granted me immense creative freedom, allowing me to clearly plan each project and realize it step by step. This technical understanding has made me more confident in my creative process, enabling me to bring my artistic visions to life with precision.
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